READ THE CITIZENS' VOICE

Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Citizens' Voice on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at citizensvoice.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Related stories

BELLEFONTE — Jerry Sandusky arrived to the courthouse Friday evening in the back of a black sport utility vehicle.

He left in handcuffs.

A Centre County jury tonight convicted the former Penn State defensive coordinator on 45 of 48 counts of child sex abuse — affirming the heinous allegations of the accusers who went face-to-face with him in court and banishing the once-revered coach and mentor to jail for what is sure to be the rest of his life.

Sheriff’s deputies detained the 68-year-old Sandusky minutes after the verdict was read and immediately hauled him off to the county jail. He waved goodbye to the family gathered in the courtroom gallery as Sheriff Denny Nau guided him out of the courtroom.

A loud cheer erupted outside the courthouse as news of the verdict spread.

Senior Judge John M. Cleland said Sandusky must undergo assessment by the sexual offender assessment board. He will be sentenced within 90 days.

A look of glum resignation supplanted Sandusky’s characteristic “aww-shucks” grin as the jury — with its finding of guilt on involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and other charges — branded him a convicted pedophile. Sandusky swallowed slightly and pursed his lips, as if expressing resignation, as the jury foreman said "guilty" for the first time.

His wife Dottie sat stonefaced in the front row of the courtroom gallery, alongside their daughter and three of their five sons.

A few counts in, a bell from a nearby church tolled the 10 o'clock hour.

Sandusky’s conviction closed the first legal chapter in a case that rocked Penn State, where officials were accused of hiding a report of his abuse from police for a decade. Uncertainty about the university’s leadership in the wake of Sandusky’s arrest last November led the board of trustees to swiftly fire president Graham Spanier and longtime head football coach Joe Paterno.

Penn State students rioted in downtown State College after Paterno’s dismissal, turning the main drag separating the campus from the surrounding community into a battleground of tear gas and broken glass. Many chanted support for the fired coach and screamed obscenities in vain at the men they viewed as responsible for his plight — Sandusky and the two officials charged in the cover up, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Vice President Gary Schultz.

BELLEFONTE — The now-shuttered Garman Opera House Theatre here once hosted George Burns and Gracie Allen, plays and Wild West shows.

The scene across the street this morning in the Centre County Courthouse seemed ripe for the stage: a seasoned prosecutor playing the role of a star witness.

Deputy Attorney General Frank Fina, sitting on the witness stand, read aloud from the transcript of testimony last week from former Penn State assistant football coach Mike McQueary, who said he witnessed Jerry Sandusky raping a preteen boy in a team shower.

Jurors scribbled notes as Fina read McQueary’s graphic description of the incident, which he said occurred in February 2001. One woman clutched two notepads, writing on one and referring to notes, likely from McQueary’s original testimony last week, on the other.

McQueary, then a graduate assistant coach, testified he went to the team facility to watch recruiting tapes and put newly purchased shoes in a locker. He said he walked in on Sandusky and a 10-to-12-year-old boy making “skin-on-skin smacking sounds.”

McQueary said he watched Sandusky and the boy for a second or two. Sandusky moved his mid-section in a slow, rhythmic fashion, McQueary said. It appeared as if Sandusky was raping the boy.

"I see in the mirror Coach Sandusky standing behind a boy who is propped up against the shower, the showers are running and he is right up against the boy's back with his front," McQueary said. "I turned back to my locker trying to digest what I saw or what I thought I saw. I didn't want to trust the mirror, maybe I wasn't seeing what I thought I was seeing."

Jurors last night asked to have McQueary’s testimony and that of family friend Dr. Jonathan Dranov reread to refresh their recollection. McQueary’s father, John, summoned Dranov to his home the night of the incident for advice. Dranov directed McQueary to report the abuse to his supervisor, Joe Paterno.

The process took less than two hours.

Sandusky attorney Joseph Amendola, who played the role of Dranov, quipped after: “People would go tell me ‘you should have gone into acting.’ I’d say, ‘I did!’”

Sandusky’s other attorney, Karl Rominger, read the questions he asked of Dranov when the doctor testified on Wednesday. Afterward, he posted on Twitter: “I'm joining a community theatre troupe.”

A follower suggested “12 Angry Men” as the attorney’s first production.

Sandusky’s wife, Dottie, sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery in a section reserved for Sandusky’s family as Fina and the questioning prosecutor, Joseph E. McGettigan, read through McQueary’s testimony.

Sandusky’s adopted son, Matt, did not sit in the courtroom after his attorney said Thursday that he was a victim of his father’s sexual abuse.

A source said prosecutors having Matt Sandusky testify as a rebuttal witness after the defense case this week would have amounted to a “whole separate trial” and Sandusky family members, including Matt’s adopted brothers and sisters, would have lined up to refute his allegations.

Jurors deliberated for more than eight hours Thursday and for about 30 minutes this morning before hearing the McQueary and Dranov testimony.

Sandusky is facing 48 counts of child sex abuse stemming from allegations involving eight accusers and two eyewitnesses, including McQueary. If convicted, he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.